


Ruminations

by softatem



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (i do actually but), (you know), Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, don't read this if you're looking for a bad time because i don't know how to write conflicts, fight me, for now, i'm really considering creating an 'afterlife series', it's what i specialize in after all, lots of it!, maybe? - Freeform, so much fluff you'll get sick of it, they deserve to be happy and in love forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 03:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18652168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softatem/pseuds/softatem
Summary: Alright, so Atem's a morning person and enjoys teasing him for sleeping in. Atem's also ticklish and Yuugi loves that he is. What else is there to learn about him? He decides that there's no need to rush things. After all, they have the rest of forever to learn each other all over again, and Yuugi couldn't be happier about it.





	Ruminations

Despite now residing in a divine body that never aged, crafted from scratch by the gods themselves, Yuugi felt as if he were stuck in a perpetual state of surrealism.

Sure, he could see every microfiber of every material that his eyes grazed; and sure, he could smell every note of every scent that wafted through the perfect ambiance of Eternal Egypt (more often than not, it was the sweet smell of flowers that seeped into the palace from the beautiful, lush gardens that lied just outside the barriers of the palace. Yuugi was completely enraptured by it.) In fact, Yuugi was pretty sure he could now immaculately perceive every single physical object in existence--even things that weren't directly in front of him. An ability that was never his until he was granted access to the eternal Egyptian afterlife. He also noticed that his mind was always clear and rid of the disturbing, intrusive thoughts that he'd sometimes have for no reason when he was still alive.

So given these things, why did he feel like none of what surrounded him now was actually real, while at the same time, it all felt almost _too_ real? Shouldn't his perception of reality be better than this, too?

Was this how Atem felt when he had crossed over at first? He still had so much to ask him. They had a _lot_ of catching up to do.

Speaking of his pharaoh...

"Ah, aibou! There you are," his voice seemed to loom over Yuugi and encompass him in its mirth as he entered the room Yuugi was in--which just so happened to be the new bedroom that was recently gifted to him. In ancient Egypt, of course, these rooms were known as 'chambers'-- something Yuugi would have to get used to. There was a _lot_ he'd have to get used to, if he was being honest with himself, but he didn't want to dwell on these thoughts now, especially with Atem in his company. "I was beginning to worry about you, but I should have known you'd still be in your bed at this time."

" _Ohayou gozaimasu, mou hitori no boku_ ," Yuugi's voice chimed as he sat all the way up on his spacious bed and gave Atem a sleepy grin, stretching his arms high above his head as he worked to rid his body of the lagging effects of his deep slumber. He couldn't help it if his bed was just so extravagant and more comfortable than anything he'd ever felt! This was all on his other self for giving him something so nice.

Atem couldn't help but return his smile. Yuugi had never, ever been a morning person, and Atem was delighted by the fact that this endearing trait of his carried over into the afterlife.

It was just one of the many reasons Atem felt they were the perfect quintessence of yin and yang.

"Good morning to you, too," Atem returned warmly as he walked over to Yuugi's bed and sat down just a foot or so away from his still very sleepy partner. When Atem spoke in Yuugi's native tongue with him, he couldn't help but notice the strongly accented words, and it forced Yuugi to remember that Atem was in his _own_ body now and had his _own_ way of enunciating all the different syllables that existed--and don't even get him started on the way Atem sounded when he spoke in his own ancient language. Yuugi knew he would never get tired of listening to such a beautiful combination of vocals and speech patterns.

Atem was breathtaking in so many ways, and Yuugi had yet to discover every single one. It helped immensely now that they were learning everything about each other all over again.

What probably delighted Yuugi the most was just how _laid back_ Atem seemed now. He remembered how tense and on edge he used to be when they shared a body all that time ago. But now, Atem was more often than not the one to initiate activities for the both of them, was the one to suggest that they go for a swim in the middle of the day for no reason, was the one who gleefully led Yuugi by the hand through the towering halls of his palace in search of new and exciting things to do together. He laughed and smiled and played around so much more, now. _Atem was even ticklish!_ Something Yuugi had discovered by accident just a few days beforehand, and he was determined to put that knowledge to good use at every possible opportunity. Yuugi would never have guessed that his other self could be so much fun.

At the same time, it was no wonder why Atem was so much happier now than he had been when Yuugi had last seen him. He had a lot of time to rest and to adjust to the fact that he no longer belonged to the world of the living. There were no more threats, no more conflicts, no more shadow games, no more darkness. No more reasons to sacrifice himself. No more pain or torment. There was only light and wonder and _peace_. There would never come a single day when Yuugi wouldn't thank the forces that allowed him to join Atem in such splendid, eternal serendipity, and he knew Atem harbored the exact same gratitude in his heart.

"My poor aibou must be starving after sleeping for so long," Atem's voice gently pulled Yuugi out of his reverie, and a smile played on his lips in response.

"I wasn't asleep for _that_ long," Yuugi pretended to pout as he reached over and gave Atem's shoulder a soft push. Yuugi briefly noted that Atem wasn't wearing his cloak. _Good, maybe we can wrestle again!_

The cloak may or may not have accidentally caused some minor injuries just a few days ago, which prompted Atem to apologize profusely to his partner. Yuugi hadn't really minded, laughing off the tender bump on his head.

Atem _tsked_ at him with a shake of his head, although the pure amusement shining in his eyes gave away his true feelings. "How could you deal such harsh blows? And towards the Pharaoh, no less?"

Yuugi decided to play along with the act, suddenly feigning great remorse by clasping his hands together in a begging motion and staring at him with wide eyes. "You're right, my Pharaoh, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! What could I possibly do to make it up to you?"

Atem crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his head with closed eyes, appearing deep in thought for a moment, before perking back up with a gentle smirk and a glint in his eye.

"You have to sing me to sleep tonight."

Yuugi would have carried on with the joke had the response not sounded so... genuine. The sheer sincerity of it caused a soft blush to bloom across his face. He had expected something equally ridiculous to be his 'punishment', but Atem's reply really had just sounded so...

_Sweet._

"I can't even sing that well," was Yuugi's honest answer, his voice having fallen quieter than before. Was Atem deliberately trying to fluster him? Because if so, then it _worked_.

A quick flash of something akin to regret crossed Atem's features before he shook his head and let out a sharp laugh, startling Yuugi out of his inner musings yet again. "I could never force you to do anything you didn't want to do, Yuugi," Atem assured him with yet another warm smile (seriously, those smiles of his could rival the warmth of Ra himself, Yuugi was certain). He then reached out and patted the crown of Yuugi's head, humming contentedly to himself, before rising back to his feet. "Come with me, Yuugi. There's lots of food prepared for us. You don't want it all to get cold, do you?"

"Mm-mmh," Yuugi shook his head and let out a happy sigh as he began peeling the luxurious covers off of himself--an action he immediately regretted, as the absence of the thick comforter meant the sudden blast of cool air on his body, and it forced a shrill whine out of him. This was such a catch twenty-two situation. If he went to bed fully clothed, he couldn't immerse himself in the embrace of his warm comforter since it would only serve to reduce him to a puddle of sweat during the night; however, if he went to bed with little to no clothes on, it meant having to forcefully pry himself from the comfortable heat that shielded him from the cool atmosphere of the palace every single morning.

Forever amused by his silly partner, Atem couldn't stop the small fits of laughter that bubbled up from his throat at the sight. Poor, poor Yuugi. _How was he ever going to cope under such harsh conditions?_ Atem was practically abusing him at this point, what with all the lavish meals and games and baths that were drawn for him every single night. (Per Atem's request, not Yuugi's. Yuugi insisted that he draw his own bath, but Atem wanted nothing but the best for him, so he had his servants sneak into his bathroom when Yuugi was away to draw the perfect combination of warm, gently scented water, salts, milk, and bubbles that sent Yuugi even further into heaven every night.)

To say that Yuugi had become completely spoiled in the small amount of time he'd spent in the afterlife thus far was the biggest understatement of all time. But Atem knew that he deserved to be spoiled, so as long as Atem was near, spoiled Yuugi would be.

"Here, aibou," he murmured fondly before he turned to Yuugi's new (and so far, mostly unused), expansive walk-in wardrobe to retrieve a snow-white robe with a sheer, golden sash fastened to the waist. He carried the flowing garment over to the still burrowed bundle of shivers and goosebumps and set it down beside him on the sheets. "You should really keep one of these closer to your bed so you don't have to put yourself through so much suffering in the mornings," Atem couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him towards the end there as he watched Yuugi peering up at him from behind the safety of his comforter. While Atem had his back turned, Yuugi had pulled the blanket all the way back up and left only his eyes exposed.

When Yuugi didn't say anything in response, a mischievous grin spread across Atem's face as he let out an exasperated sigh, raising his arms in mock defeat. "You're right, you win. Let's just sleep for the rest of eternity, even though food is just as good as sleep," he exclaimed before he crawled up onto the bed with Yuugi and--before Yuugi could properly react, Atem had plopped himself down on top of him and stretched himself out, effectively pinning him completely against the mattress and keeping him trapped underneath the sheets.

In no time at all, Yuugi had freed his face and arms of the comforter and flailed, trying desperately to push Atem off of him-- _but he was so heavy!_ How was that even possible? Was it all that lean muscle? There was no way.

"Ateeeem," Yuugi whined as he helplessly nudged at the side of the pharaoh's face with his own, bringing his hand to the other side of his face and lightly smacking his cheek a few times. "You're really heavy! I can't breathe under you--!"

"Sorry, I've fallen into an eternal slumber. It's too late for me now. You should have gone with me to eat breakfast, but alas..." Atem murmured as he buried his face into Yuugi's shoulder. This small action caused Yuugi's breath to hitch in his throat and a warmth to suddenly pool in the pit of his stomach.

_He's so close to me again..._

Not wanting to make it known just how much this gentle contact was affecting him, Yuugi had to get his other off of himself rather quickly. With a sneaky smile, he decided to equip his newest strategy for warding Atem off and away from himself. In one, fluid motion, Yuugi brought his hands down to the pharaoh's sides and softly began to trickle his fingers along his waist in tiny, fluttering motions. He wasn't yet sure if Atem was ticklish in any other places, but for now, he knew this would more than suffice.

"No, no, stop--Yuugi, stop, not again--please! Haha!"

With a fierce determination in his eyes, Yuugi picked up the speed and the intensity of his tickling, beginning to dig his fingers into the soft flesh that hid just underneath the white tunic--not harshly, but just enough to achieve the desired effect.

This was already proving to be too much for Atem, as evident by the sudden outburst of baritone laughter that filled the entire space of Yuugi's bedroom.

"Pl-please! Okay, okay, okay--! You win!"

With a strained, defeated grunt, Atem rolled himself off of Yuugi, ensuring his freedom from his spot underneath the covers. Yuugi immediately popped his head up and stuck his tongue out a very beet-red faced Atem, who was still huffing and puffing and gripping his side as he tried to calm himself down.

"I should make that... illegal... not fair, aibou..."

"I think it's more than fair, Pharaoh," Yuugi countered calmly as he finally slipped himself out of the covers and reached for the robe, tugging it towards himself and shifting it in his hands to find the sleeves.

"I'll find a way to deflect this newfound attack of yours, Yuugi. Just you wait."

"Oh, I'll be waiting alright. I'll probably be waiting forever," Yuugi teased him right back. This caused Atem to sputter for a brief moment, much to Yuugi's glee. _He can really be so vulnerable around me sometimes. How adorable..._

As Yuugi began to dress himself in the robe, he turned away from Atem momentarily so he could allow his thoughts to wander. He was almost certain he knew exactly what was happening between the two of them, but he didn't want to make any assumptions, and he _certainly_ didn't want to act on said assumptions too soon. This entire arrangement by the gods was a new beginning for them, and Yuugi was determined to keep it as innocent and as full of fun and love as possible. He was sure that the introduction of some... less than platonic feelings would more than likely only complicate things. That's how things always progressed on Earth, anyways. It was always soft and pure at first, but things could become tricky very quickly if the two parties involved weren't careful with each other--and Yuugi would so much rather have stopped existing altogether than allow his relationship with Atem to turn sour. Just the thought alone caused him a great deal of anxiety.

Yuugi knew he had the advantage of experience in this instance. He had lived a full life and along the way, had a few long-term romantic relationships during his time alive to speak of, so he knew how these things typically went. He wasn't so sure about Atem's feelings on the matter, however. He didn't even know if Atem had been with anyone in _that way_ after they'd separated. They hadn't actually ventured into this specific topic before, and Yuugi found himself feeling rather apprehensive about the possibility of certain feelings blossoming between them, because he knew what it could potentially lead to. He felt so conflicted. But then again...

 _This was Atem._ He was Yugi's strength. His protector, his shield, and his rock. No other person from his life on Earth had been through as much with him as Atem had. No other soul had forged such a deep, irrevocable connection with him, no other had seen so much of Yuugi's entire being for what it was, had been exposed to every single facet of his existence and yet continued to love him unconditionally. They were once a single being who was forced to split apart, seemingly forever, but both managed to find one another again and pick right back up where they'd left off almost an entire century later. That just didn't happen to ordinary people. Yuugi and Atem together were anything but ordinary, and this simple fact alone never failed to take Yuugi's breath away.

 _Atem is definitely my soulmate. There's no other explanation for any of this_ , Yuugi thought to himself as he let his gaze linger on his wardrobe across the room for just a moment longer. Maybe having a different kind of love shared between them wouldn't end in heartbreak. Maybe it'd be different for them. It _had_ to be different for them. Everything else was different when it was shared between the both of them, and always in the absolute best way.

_If he asked, I would give myself to him in a heartbeat. I'd give him anything he desired._

When Yuugi finished tying the golden sash in place to secure his robe, he turned back around to see Atem sitting idly on his bed with his hands clasped patiently in his lap, a demure smile playing on his lips as he captured Yuugi's gaze. Yuugi couldn't help but return his smile in kind. Atem's smiles were so infectious.

_I know I'll never love anyone else like I love you, mou hitori no boku. We're together again. Everything is right with the world. You're safe. We're safe together, and I have faith that it'll always be that way from now on._

If Yuugi's amorous feelings for Atem persisted, he decided then and there that he wouldn't try to keep them hidden from his other half. Atem deserved to know how he felt at all times. There was no point in keeping secrets.

"Let's go eat, Atem." Yuugi walked closer and reached his hand out to his other. Not even a second later, Atem had slipped his hand over Yuugi's own, gripping it gently and following him to the breakfast hall.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, so this is... certainly a thing I wrote. I hope it's alright! Just as my tags imply, I might turn this into a series if these little one shots get enough traction.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed it. <3


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